System and method for playing a toy with combinatorial attributes

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a system and the accompanying method for playing a toy with combinatorial attributes. The system includes an interactive surface embedded with a processor and a memory unit, multiple figurines, each embedded with an identifier, and multiple carriers, each embedded with an identifier and designed to carry a figurine inside to form a figurine/carrier combination. The memory unit is configured to store character attributes assigned to each of the figurines and each of the carriers, combinatorial attributes of the figurine/carrier combination based on the character attributes of the figurine and the carrier forming the figurine/carrier combination, and experience points of the figurine/carrier combination. Once the figurine/carrier combination is placed upon the interactive surface, the processor is configured to recognize the identifiers of the figurine and the carrier and the spatial relationship between the figurine and the carrier, to direct the figurine/carrier combination to perform in accordance with the combinatorial attributes and the experience points of the figurine/carrier combination, and to further update the experience points of the figurine/carrier combination.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation in part of International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2016/111867, entitled “System and Method for Playing a Toy with Combinatorial Attributes”, filed on Dec. 24, 2016, which claims priority of Patent Application CN2015109995240, entitled “A Toy with Combinatorial Attributes and the Operation Method thereof”, filed on Dec. 25, 2015. The entire disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a toy, and in particular, playing a toy with combinatorial attributes.

BACKGROUND

Nowadays, assembly toys are usually combination of multiple items in different shapes such as square, rectangle, circular, or other shapes. Assembly toys can also be made up of multiple components and modeled as per characters in animations and comics. These components can be in unique shapes and eventually assembled as a toy to be played.

However, the assembly toys only have morphological characteristics, but don't have the character attributes assigned to each of the components, not to mention combinatorial attributes derived from the character attributes of each component. And the assembly toys can't accumulate experience points during the playing, which by some means makes it boring and draw little interest from players.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Aiming to solve the problems above, the present invention provides a system and the accompanying method for playing a toy with combinatorial attributes. The system includes an interactive surface embedded with a processor and a memory unit, multiple figurines, each embedded with an identifier, and multiple carriers, each embedded with an identifier and designed to carry a figurine inside to form a figurine/carrier combination. The memory unit is configured to store character attributes assigned to each of the figurines and each of the carriers, combinatorial attributes of the figurine/carrier combination based on the character attributes of the figurine and the carrier forming the figurine/carrier combination, and experience points of the figurine/carrier combination. Once the figurine/carrier combination is placed upon the interactive surface, the processor is configured to recognize the identifiers of the figurine and the carrier and the spatial relationship between the figurine and the carrier, to direct the figurine/carrier combination to perform in accordance with the combinatorial attributes and the experience points of the figurine/carrier combination, and to further update the experience points of the figurine/carrier combination.

The character attributes assigned to the figurine and the carrier, and the combinatorial attributes and the experience points of the figurine/carrier combination, are actually preset programs encoded with operational rules in the interactive surface. In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the carrier is further embedded with a movement module.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the interactive surface is embedded with an array of RF antennas, and the identifier is an RFID tag. The processor recognizes the IDs of the figurine and the carrier by wireless communication between the RFID tags embedded in the figurine and the carrier and the array of RF antennas.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the interactive surface is embedded with an array of electrodes, and the figurine and the carrier contain material that capacitively couples with the electrodes. The processor recognizes the locations of the figurine and the carrier by capacitive coupling between the materials embedded in the figurine and the carrier and the electrodes.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the carrier is further embedded with sensory accessories that can be LED lights or sound modules.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the carrier is embedded with a microcomputer unit and a wireless communication module. And the carrier is further embedded with a power source or an RF energy harvesting module.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the carrier further includes a groove to allow the figurine to be placed inside. The edges of the groove have multiple gaps and the figurine has protruding areas that can be fitted into the gaps.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the IDs of the figurine and the carrier are recognized by the processor once the figurine and the carrier are placed on the interactive surface separately. And then the processor directs the figurine to perform in accordance with the character attribute assigned to the figurine, and directs the carrier to perform in accordance with the character attribute assigned to the carrier.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, after the processor retrieves the combinatorial attribute of a figurine/carrier combination from the memory unit, it assigns an initial value to the experience points of the figurine/carrier combination. And the experience points can be dynamically accumulated during gameplay.

The present invention provides a system and method for playing a toy with combinatorial attributes. The toy has a variety of combinatorial attributes and is easily played, which makes it interesting and fun for players.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To better illustrate the technical features of the embodiments of the present invention, various embodiments of the present invention will be briefly described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be obvious that the drawings are only for exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and that a person of ordinary skill in the art may derive additional drawings without deviating from the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the system for playing a toy with combinatorial attributes in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the process flow of the system for playing a toy with combinatorial attributes in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the application of the system in a turn-based combat game in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the invention will be described in conjunction with the embodiments, it will be understood that this is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to these specific embodiments. The invention is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents within the spirit and scope of invention, which is defined by the apprehended claims.

Furthermore, in the detailed description of the present invention, specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well known methods, procedures, components, and circuits are not described in details to avoid unnecessarily obscuring a clear understanding of the present invention.

The present invention provides a system and the accompanying method for playing a toy with combinatorial attributes. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the system for playing a toy with combinatorial attributes in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The system includes an interactive surface 101 embedded with a processor and a memory unit, multiple figurines, each embedded with an identifier, and multiple carriers, each embedded with an identifier and designed to carry a figurine inside to form a figurine/carrier combination. The memory unit is stores information such as character attributes assigned to each of the figurines and each of the carriers, combinatorial attributes of the figurine/carrier combination based on the character attributes of the figurine and the carrier forming the figurine/carrier combination, and experience points of the figurine/carrier combination.

The interactive surface 101 is embedded with an array of RF antennas, and the identifier is an RFID tag. The interactive surface 101 detects the unique IDs of the figurine and the carrier through the wireless communication between the RFID tags embedded in the figurine and the carrier and the RF antenna of the interactive surface 101. The interactive surface 101 is embedded with an array of electrodes, and the figurine and the carrier have material that can capacitively couple with the electrodes. In this embodiment, the electrode is a chip made of metal such as aluminum and copper. The interactive surface 101 derives the locations of the figurine and the carrier relative to the interactive surface 101, based on the magnitude of the capacitive coupling between of interactive surface 101 and the figurine and the carrier.

Once the figurine/carrier combination is placed upon the interactive surface 101, the processor recognizes the unique IDs of the figurine and the carrier as well as the spatial relationship between the figurine and the carrier, directs the figurine/carrier combination to perform in accordance with the combinatorial attributes and the experience points of the figurine/carrier combination, and further updates the experience points of the figurine/carrier combination.

In another embodiment, the carrier is embedded with a movement module. The carrier is further embedded with sensory accessories that can be LED lights or sound modules.

In another embodiment, the carrier is embedded with a microcomputer unit and a wireless communication module. And the carrier is further embedded with a power source or an RF energy harvesting module.

In another embodiment, the carrier further includes a groove to allow the figurine to be placed inside. The edges of the groove have multiple gaps and the figurine has protruding areas that can be fitted into the gaps.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the process flow of the system for playing a toy with combinatorial attributes in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. The process flow is as follows:

Step 1: placing a figurine/carrier combination upon an interactive surface; the interactive surface is embedded with a processor and a memory unit; the figurine/carrier combination is formed with a carrier carrying a figurine inside, and the figurine and the carrier are both embedded with an identifier; the memory unit is configured to store character attributes assigned to the figurine and the carrier, combinatorial attributes of the figurine/carrier combination based on the character attributes of the figurine and the carrier, and experience points of the figurine/carrier combination;

Step 2: recognizing by the processor the identifiers of the figurine and the carrier and the spatial relationship between the figurine and the carrier;

Step 3: directing by the processor the figurine/carrier combination to perform in accordance with the combinatorial attributes as well as the experience points of the figurine/carrier combination;

Step 4: updating by the processor the experience points of the figurine/carrier combination.

In another embodiment, the IDs of the figurine and the carrier can be recognized by the processor once the figurine and the carrier are placed on the interactive surface separately. And then the processor directs the figurine to perform in accordance with attribute 1 assigned to the figurine, and directs the carrier to perform in accordance with attribute 2 assigned to the carrier.

In another embodiment, after the processor retrieves the combinatorial attribute (attribute 3) of the figurine/carrier combination from the memory unit, it assigns an initial value to the experience points of the figurine/carrier combination. And the experience points can be dynamically accumulated during gameplay.

Attributes 1, 2 and 3 correspond to the performance of the figurine, the carrier and the figurine/carrier combination. The character attributes assigned to the figurine and the carrier, and the combinatorial attributes and the experience points of the figurine/carrier combination, are actually preset programs encoded with operational rules in the interactive surface.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the application of the system in a turn-based combat game in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the system includes an interactive surface 301, multiple figurines, and multiple carriers. The interactive surface 301 is embedded with a processor 302, a memory unit 303, and a wireless communication module 304. The interactive surface 301 has a control area 305 and a game area 306. Each figurine is embedded with an identifier. Each carrier is embedded with an identifier and a movement module. A carrier carries a figurine inside to form a figurine/carrier combination.

In this embodiment, the rules of the combat game are as follows. To play the game, two users each pick one figurine and one carrier. In this embodiment, the figurine and the carrier can't be played separately. The figurine includes cat, dog and mouse. The character attributes of the figurines are as follows. Cat has the highest attack points, which are 1.25 folds of that of a typical figurine. Dog has the strongest defense, bearing a chance of 30% halving the attack it takes. The mouse has the greatest quickness, bearing a chance of 40 percent dodging the attack aiming at it. The carrier includes tank, submarine and fighter. The character attributes of the carriers is as follows. Tank has the strongest defense, which increases the probability of halving the attack aiming at the figurine it carries by a chance of 30 percent. Submarine has the highest attack points, which increase the attack initiated by the figurine it carries to 1.25 folds by a chance of 30 percent. Fighter moves fastest, which increases the probability of dodging the attack aiming at the figurine it carries by a chance of 30 percent. The combinatorial attribute of the figurine/carrier combination derives from the character attributes of the figurine and the carrier forming it. The experience points of the figurine/carrier combination are increased by 10 percent after each battle. If the figurine is combined with another carrier, the experience points previously accumulated will be cleared, and the processor 302 will assign a new initial value to the experience points of the new figurine/carrier combination. Every figurine/carrier combination has health points. Once the health points of a figurine/carrier combination are down to zero, the game is over and the winner will be declared.

The interactive surface 301 is embedded with an array of RF antennas, and the identifier is an RFID tag. The interactive surface 301 detects the unique IDs of the figurine and the carrier through the wireless communication between the RFID tags embedded in the figurine and the carrier and the RF antenna of the interactive surface 301. The interactive surface 301 is embedded with an array of electrodes, and the figurine and the carrier contain material that can capacitively couple with the electrodes. In this embodiment, the electrode is a chip made of metal such as aluminum and copper. The interactive surface 301 derives the locations of the figurine and the carrier relative to the interactive surface 301, based on the magnitude of the capacitive coupling between of interactive surface 101 and the figurine and the carrier. The interactive surface 301 detects finger touches by users, based on the magnitude of the capacitive coupling between of interactive surface 301 and the fingers.

As shown in FIG. 3, the cat/fighter combination 307 and the dog/tank combination 308 are placed in the game area 306 of the interactive surface 301. The users control their combinations to play the game with finger touches on the control area 305 of the interactive surface 301. The processor 302 recognizes the IDs of the cat, the dog, the fighter, and the tank, the spatial relationship between the cat and the fighter, and the spatial relationship between the dog and the tank. The processor 302 directs the performance of the cat/fighter combination 307 and the dog/chariot combination 308, and updates the experience points of the two combinations. The processor 302 also sends commands to the combinations through the wireless communication module 304 to direct the combinations to move and produce sensory feedback. 

1. A toy with combinatorial character attributes, comprising: an interactive surface embedded with a processor and a memory unit; a plurality of figurines, each embedded with an identifier; a plurality of carriers, each embedded with an identifier and designed to carry a figurine inside to form a figurine/carrier combination; wherein the memory unit is configured to store character attributes assigned to each of the figurines and each of the carriers, combinatorial attributes of a figurine/carrier combination based on the character attributes of the figurine and the carrier forming the figurine/carrier combination, and experience points of the figurine/carrier combination; and wherein, upon the figurine/carrier combination being placed upon the interactive surface, the processor is configured to recognize the identifiers of the figurine and the carrier and the spatial relationship between the figurine and the carrier, to direct the figurine/carrier combination to perform in accordance with the combinatorial attributes and the experience points of the figurine/carrier combination, and to further update the experience points of the figurine/carrier combination.
 2. The toy of claim 1, wherein the carrier is further embedded with a movement module.
 3. The toy of claim 1, wherein the interactive surface is embedded with an array of RF antennas, and wherein the identifier is an RFID tag.
 4. The toy of claim 1, wherein the interactive surface is embedded with an array of electrodes, and wherein the figurine and the carrier comprise material that capacitively couples with the electrodes.
 5. The toy of claim 1, wherein the carrier is further embedded with sensory accessories selected from a group consisting of LED lights and sound modules.
 6. The toy of claim 5, wherein the carrier is embedded with a microcomputer unit and a wireless communication module.
 7. The toy of claim 6, wherein the carrier is further embedded with a power source or an RF energy harvesting module.
 8. The toy of claim 1, wherein the carrier further comprises a groove to allow the figurine to be placed inside.
 9. The toy of claim 8, wherein the edges of the groove have a plurality of gaps and the figurine has protruding areas that can be fitted into the gaps.
 10. A method for playing a toy with combinatorial character attributes, comprising: placing a figurine/carrier combination upon an interactive surface, wherein the interactive surface is embedded with a processor and a memory unit, and wherein the figurine/carrier combination is formed with a carrier carrying a figurine inside, and wherein the figurine and the carrier are embedded with an identifier, and wherein the memory unit is configured to store character attributes assigned to the figurine and the carrier, combinatorial attributes of the figurine/carrier combination based on the character attributes of the figurine and the carrier, and experience points of the figurine/carrier combination; recognizing by the processor the identifiers of the figurine and the carrier and the spatial relationship between the figurine and the carrier; directing by the processor the figurine/carrier combination to perform in accordance with the combinatorial attributes and the experience points of the figurine/carrier combination; updating by the processor the experience points of the figurine/carrier combination.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the carrier is further embedded with a movement module.
 12. The method of claim 10, wherein the interactive surface is embedded with an array of RF antennas, and wherein the identifier is an RFID tag.
 13. The method of claim 10, wherein the interactive surface is embedded with an array of electrodes, and wherein the figurine and the carrier comprise material that capacitively couples with the electrodes.
 14. The method of claim 10, wherein the carrier is further embedded with sensory accessories selected from a group consisting of LED lights and sound modules.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the carrier is embedded with a microcomputer unit and a wireless communication module.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the carrier is further embedded with a power source or an RF energy harvesting module.
 17. The method of claim 10, wherein the carrier further comprises a groove to allow the figurine to be placed inside.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the edges of the groove have a plurality of gaps and the figurine has protruding areas that can be fitted into the gaps. 